For His Own Good
by Kyizi
Summary: Edge shows a new side to himself when he stands up for his friends...
1. Prologue

**For His Own Good**

**By Kyizi**

**Disclaimer:** The WWE and all related items do not belong to me; only the story is mine. No copyright infringement intended.

**Rating:** PG

**Distribution:** Please ask.

**Spoilers:** Up to and including about half way through August 2002, but I'm making a lot of it up after the initial few chapters, partially, because I want to, mostly because I'm now a little fuzzy on the timeline from back then.

**Summary:** Edge shows another side to himself when he stands up for his friends.

**Feedback:** Always:)

**Notes: **Whilst this originally began as a short one off, it received such a warm welcome as well as some requests for more and I just couldn't help myself. However, the initial idea might have been to write a more prolonged fic, along the same route as my other WWE fics, this one was best kept short, partly because the storyline is so old that what I remember is all mixed up and partly because it wasn't necessary to drag out. Therefore this is basically just the one fic, so I'm removing the chapters.

The ship that won the voting will be used, although perhaps not quite to the extent you may have hoped for. Despite that, I hope you enjoy and I hope that it meets your expectations!

Don't forget to vote for the WiP you want worked on the most in my Yahoo! Group poll and I'll do my best to deliver, despite my lack of internet connection atm. I'm hoping to get Cry Me A River finished next, but we'll see!

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**Prologue**

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"What's that look for?"

Edge almost laughed. "I think you know."

"And what exactly is it that you think I know."

Edge rolled his eyes at the man's feigned ignorance. "Steph may not want us to, but I do watch RAW, and I saw what you did."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

This time Edge did laugh. "Tell me, Matt, did you honestly think I wouldn't care about what you did?"

Matt's eyes instantly filled with anger. "What the hell is it to you anyway?"

"What is it to me?" Edge asked, walking the elder Hardy into a wall. "It is two things to me. Jeff and Lita. I know what it's like to have your brother turn on you."

"What I did was for his own good-"

Edge grabbed his collar and almost lifted him off his feet. "For his own good? His own good? You want to tell me how beating on your own brother will do him some good?" Matt was gasping for air, trying to speak, but Edge continued. "The only good it did Jeff was to let him know that his brother was a no good loser who was so jealous of his success that he had to beat him up. Know what Matt, that story's getting old. I've been there, I know. And as for Lita…"

Matt kicked out and Edge let him fall to the ground, but didn't give him any room, instead pinning him to the corner between the ground and the wall. Matt's eyes were no longer filled with anger, but Edge could detect a hint of fear and he smirked for a moment before continuing.

"Do you have any idea how Lita feels about all this?"

"Lita's my girlfriend."

"Like that makes a difference. Jeff is her best friend." Edge laughed, but there was no humour in it. "You haven't even spoken to her, so how would you know."

"How do you know whether-"

"Because you're not the one who got the hysterical phone call at one am on Monday night. You're not the one that had to fly to New York and calm her down. You're not the one that had to take her to see Jeff at five in the morning, thinking that he'd hate her. Matt you didn't do any of those things; you were the one that caused them all."

"How dare you-"

"How dare I?" Edge smacked Matt's head off the wall with a resounding thud. "You listen to me, Matthew Hardy. I'm glad you're on Smackdown now. You know why? Because I can watch you and, believe me, I will be watching. If you so much as breathe into the phone to either Jeff or Lita, I will make your life a living hell. You won't be able to walk, let alone think of talking to them. Jeff is like a younger brother to me, more than you ever thought of him. And I swear, if you even think of making another move on Lita, I will break every bone in your body. Understood?"

Matt's eyes were wide, but he nodded. Edge smiled and leaned a little closer to him, making sure that the man could feel Edge's breath on his face.

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a match tonight."

Edge stood up but couldn't resist the urge to kick the man before leaving. As he made his way to his locker room, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. With every step he took further away from Matt, he felt his anger fade a little. He didn't know what Matt had planned, but he was sure that the man hadn't come to Smackdown without some agenda. He knew the man too well for that, in fact, he was likely the only person that knew that side of the elder Hardy brother – well, he and Chris Jericho, but the other man was a jackass now, so he didn't really count. All Edge did know for sure was that he was going to protect Lita and Jeff, no one would harm either of them again, especially Matt Hardy.

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**End of Prologue**

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	2. Part 01

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**Part One**

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"Jeff, honey, are you decent?"

"Li, I'm never decent."

Lita rolled her eyes and smiled as she opened the door. "You need to get yourself some new jokes, Jeffrey, they're getting old and used."

"The old ones are the best," he said as she sat next to him on the window seat, picking his feet up and placing them in her lap.

"Whacha doin'?" He shrugged and seemed to clutch tighter at the book he was holding. "Jeff?"

He sighed and handed her the book, almost afraid to let it go. "It…Matt made it for me when Nana died. He went though all our pictures and took out everything he could find with her smiling in it. She loved to smile, when she smiled everyone around her smiled." Lita grinned and looked up at him. "See?"

She laughed and turned another page, staring at the photos. She smiled and fingered the largest one on the page. There was an elderly lady that she assumed was Jeff's Nana, holding a little boy in each arm. The devilish grin betrayed Matt to her straight away and the cute, cheesy grin and beautiful hazel eyes screamed Jeff at her. She laughed a little, suddenly realising that she'd never really seen many childhood Hardy photos.

"You seem happy."

"I was."

She heard his voice break a little and looked up at him. "Jeff, what's wrong? I know Matt turned on us again, but-"

"On me. He turned on me again. He wanted you to go with him, honey."

"Then he doesn't know or love me anywhere near as much as he pretends to. I'd never leave you, _ever_, and he should have known that." Jeff tried to smile but just closed his eyes, not bothering to stop the tears falling from his face. "Jeff, what else? There's more to this."

"She died that day."

"What?"

Jeff opened his eyes and smiled sadly. "That night Matt turned on me-"

"On us," she reaffirmed.

"On us…she died twelve years ago that day. I lost my Nana that day and then I lost my brother."

"Oh, Jeff," Lita shifted her position so that she could cradle his head, pulling him close, holding him. "I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry."

"I just don't understand how he could…why would he…"

"I don't know, Jeff. I wish I had an answer for you, honey, but I really don't know." She pulled him closer and closed her eyes, not stopping her own tears. Matt would pay for hurting them, for hurting Jeff. She would make sure of that, even if she had to move heaven and earth to do it.

xxxxx

Lita shifted slightly in her sleep and Jeff winced, trying not to wake her. He attempted to pull his arm from under her head, but to no avail. Sighing, he lay his head back on the pillow, hoping that his bladder would hold until Lita woke up. The solution was provided for him when the phone rang, rousing Lita from her sleep.

"Morning, sleepyhead," he said, kissing her on the forehead. "Can you get that, I really need to pee."

Lita gave a sleepy chuckle and nodded as Jeff slipped from the bed where they had fallen asleep. He put the photo album on the bedside cabinet and made a run for the bathroom as she picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" Lita frowned, hearing no reply. There was clearly someone at the other end of the phone. "Hello," she said more forcefully. Again, there was no reply.

Jeff came out of the bathroom mouthing, "who is it?" and she shook her head.

"Matt if this is you, then you had better get-"

"It's not Matt."

It wasn't so much the reply that startled her as it was the voice that she recognised. "Chris?"

"Chris?" Jeff asked questioningly. "Chris Jericho?" His voice hardened as he realised who was on the phone.

"Chris, what do you want?" Lita asked, raising a hand to stop Jeff taking the phone from her. There had been something in his voice that made her think he wasn't calling to irritate them. She turned on the speakerphone so that Jeff could hear the conversation.

"I-I just wanted to…"

"You just wanted to what, Chris?" she asked softly.

"I just wanted to make sure that you and Jeff were all right." They sat in silence, part of her unable to digest what he was saying. Taking her silence as rejection, Chris sighed. "I'm sorry, it was stupid. I'll-"

"It wasn't stupid, Chris," Lita said, a smile coming to her face.

"Thank you," Jeff said softly and there was a startled noise at the other end of the phone. "Speakerphone," Jeff said in reply. "I wasn't convinced when I heard it was you…well…"

"You thought I was calling to cause trouble," Chris finished. "I can understand that." He was silent for a moment. "Listen, I've been a jerk, I know that-"

"Now there's an understatement." Lita chuckled and Chris joined in.

"Yeah, well, I've always been like that, I was just usually able to control it and…well…Lita, I'm so sorry, I just-"

"It's okay, Chris," she said hastily, shooting a quick glance at Jeff. The younger man seemed confused but didn't question them. "I think I understood."

"But I still hurt you and I'm sorry. I didn't know how to take it back." He sighed and they could imagine that he was running a hand through his hair. "When I saw what Matt did, it made me sick to my stomach and I couldn't…I just realised what I'd done even more, I guess, and I…well, I wanted to make sure you were both okay."

Lita smiled and Jeff noticed that she seemed more relaxed. Chris had always been able to do that for her and he was glad that Jericho had chosen now to come back into their lives, assuming, of course, that that was his plan. Lita needed to learn how to smile again.

"We're not okay, Chris," Jeff replied. "But I think we will be."

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**End of Part One**

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	3. Part 02

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**Part Two**

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"I'm sorry, did you just say Chris Jericho?" Edge shook his head, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"Yes, I did." Lita sighed. She had known that Edge wouldn't take their old friend's recent contact well, but she was too tired to even think of dealing with it. She was tired, upset, cranky, and preparing for her and Jeff's first match back since Matt had turned on them.

"What did he say?" Edge demanded.

"Nothing much," she said, shrugging, even though the man couldn't see her. "He just wanted to say sorry and…well, that he wanted to make sure we were okay."

"And you believed him?"

Lita paused slightly, remembering the cautious tone in Chris' voice, the undercurrent of worry that she had long since forgotten could ever come from the man. "Yes," she said softly, "yes, I believe him."

Edge sighed. "Look, just…just be careful, Li. Promise me you'll be careful."

She wanted to tell him that it was too late for that, but she wouldn't. Instead she bade Edge a hasty goodbye, knowing that her match was up soon.

"Thank you."

The soft voice startled her and she spun around to look at the doorway. Chris was standing with his hands in his pockets, looking at her hesitantly. She took a deep breath before indicating that he should enter the locker room.

The silence was permeable as she watched him walk slowly towards her. His gaze never faltered, but he still appeared unsure of himself. Stopping in front of her, he shifted, as if only just realising that he had nothing to say. She tried to offer him a smile, but the brief look that passed over his face told her she had been completely unsuccessful.

"Where's Jeff?" he finally asked and she knew he was just trying to break the uncomfortable silence.

"He, uh, went to see Stacy."

Chris frowned and glanced away from her for a moment, working things through in his mind. Her lips curled slowly into a smile as she watched the familiar lines on his forehead change whilst he tried to make sense of her words.

"That whole thing with Matt was a set up?"

Lita nodded slowly. "Yeah, well, sort of. She just wanted to prove to me that Matt wasn't what I thought…I guess she was right." Chris opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off, not wanting to hear 'sorry' from him again, because she wasn't sure what he'd be apologising for this time and there were some things that, deep down, she didn't want him to be sorry about.

Instead she continued filling in some blanks. "Stacy and I knew each other a long time ago. We met on holiday when I was a Camp Rep just out of High School. She latched onto me like an annoying little sister for the whole summer and after that we used to write each other."

"What about invasion?"

"Well, we had a bit of a falling out over that, as you can imagine."

Chris chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I can." He frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but seemed to think better about it and opted instead to allow the silence to return.

"What?" she asked. As much as there were some things she didn't want to hear, saying anything was better than nothing at all.

"I was just wondering. That night, the phone call, was that her?"

Lita nodded, knowing exactly to what he was referring and knowing even more why he had been hesitant to bring it up. "Yes. Her cousin, Ashley, was in an accident and she was freaking out. I was the only one she could think to call."

"So…So I really wasn't the reason you left?" Her eyes widened and he stepped back, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"Chris, why would you think you were the reason?"

He laughed humourlessly. "You really need to ask?"

Lita closed her eyes for a brief moment, before stepping closer to him. "Chris, you knew that Matt and I were having problems and you knew that I…I couldn't even think about-"

"I know and I'm so sorry I put you through that."

Lita nodded. "You were stressed."

Chris cocked an eyebrow at her. "And I was being a jerk."

"That too." Lita frowned. "Was it me? I mean, was I the reason? Or is that just wi…me being conceited?"

Chris let out a breath trying not to think about the fact that it sounded as though she had almost said 'wishful thinking' and stepped back, running a hand through his hair. "That's a loaded question, Li. No matter how I answer it I'll sound like I'm making excuses or passing the blame elsewhere." He sat down on the bench along the far wall and Lita joined him, sitting so close that her shoulder brushed against his arm. He leaned forward, elbows on knees, resting his head on his clasped hands.

"You don't have to explain to me."

"Yes, I do." Chris took a moment to look at her out of the corner of his eyes. "But not now. Not while all this is going on. I just need you to know that…I wanted to stop. I wanted to go back to the way things were, but I didn't know how. It was like I was watching myself from above and I was screaming 'what the hell are you doing, jackass?' but I couldn't seem to stop."

"You never did like criticism," Lita said with a small smile. "Especially self-criticism."

"Yeah, well, there are a lot of things I don't like and, for a while now, the main thing I haven't liked is me. Not one little bit."

"You were the champ."

"I used a chair."

Lita placed a tentative hand on his shoulder and he jumped slightly at the contact. "That really eats at you, doesn't it?"

He shrugged, but didn't answer. They sat in silence for a little while, only this time it wasn't uncomfortable, but it was tinged with sadness because they had once been closer, sadness brought on by the fact that their silences that had once said so much were merely empty now.

A sound from the hallway made them both jump their feet and Lita tensed. Chris looked at her and, for a moment at least, it was like they'd gone back in time, because no words were necessary; his eyes told her that, if it was Matt Hardy having finally tracked her down to the one place he _knew_ she'd be, Chris would protect her. In fact, the look in his eye almost made her feel sorry for Matt as much as she wished it _was_ him, because he deserved to pay for hurting Jeff and, a small voice in her head that sounded eerily like Chris' said, for hurting her.

"Hey, Li, have you…"

Letting out a breath she hadn't even realised she was holding, Lita smiled at Jeff. "Hey," she said softly, "look who came to visit."

Jeff eyed Chris warily for a moment, but whatever he saw in the other man's eyes was clearly enough. He offered his old friend a tentative smile. "Nice to see you again," he said. "Been a while."

"Yeah, it has." Chris took a deep breath and moved slowly towards the door. "I should really go. Good luck with your match tonight, both of you." He looked at each of them in turn and if Jeff noticed that his gaze lingered on Lita, he had the courtesy not to say anything whilst the other man was still in the room.

"Chris," Lita called before he left. The blond man turned his head and Lita smiled at him. "You always have the choice. You can always change things back."

"Things will never be the same," he said softly and Lita nodded.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that they can't be better." Chris flashed a quick smile at her before leaving the room and Lita turned to Jeff, who was regarding her curiously. "What?"

"Somethin' tells me there's more to all this that I don't know about."

Lita sighed and sat down. "He's just…confused."

"Something tells me he's not the only one. I have a question for you," Jeff asked. "What did Chris mean when he called? When he said he was sorry he hurt you?"

Lita cleared her throat and looked away, clearly not comfortable with the idea of talking about it, just yet. After a moment she looked at his patient gaze. "I don't think I even know where to begin."

Jeff nodded. "When you're ready."

"Thank you," she whispered. Things were a mess, but, somehow, in all the confusion and all the hurt, she could feel something inside, some hope that she wouldn't be disappointed when she reached the other side.

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**End of Part Two**

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	4. Part 03

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**Part Three**

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"I still don't like him you know."

"I know," Lita said with a smile. She licked the ice cream running down the side of her cone, wrinkling her nose when she realised she had successfully coated the tip in ice cream.

Edge chuckled and reached out to wipe it away. "Sometimes I think we should get you a bib."

"Funny," she said, mock-glaring at him. "Sometimes I think we should lock you in a play pen."

Edge frowned. "Does a steel cage count, 'cause they're not so much fun and that fact that you want to put me in one is a little hurtful."

"I could hurt you more, if you really wanted." She grinned and he laughed.

"Why are you eating ice cream, anyway? It's freezing!"

"Which means it'll take longer to melt and I actually get to eat it when it's still ice cream and not ice dribble."

"Ice dribble?"

"You suck."

"Quite well, actually, you kn-ouch!"

"You deserved that."

He smiled. "Yeah, but it was worth it for that look."

They fell into a companionable silence, watching the three skaters on the pond they were approaching. The air was almost silent, carrying only the laughter the wind brought their way.

"This is nice," she said after a few moments. "I'm glad we came."

"Yeah."

"You don't have to say it like that, Edge. Jeff needed to get away and…well, so did I. We needed to go somewhere different, somewhere Matt's betrayal wouldn't follow us."

"I guess I just don't understand why you trust _him_ of all people."

She sighed. "I know you don't."

"Jeff said there's more to it than I know. Stuff you only told him recently."

She nodded, but remained silent.

"Okay," he said after a few moments. "I trust you, Li, and that's enough. I'm sorry. I won't keep asking, but you know I'm always here."

"He said he loved me," she blurted out.

"What?"

She closed her eyes. "I didn't mean to blurt it out like that," she said, so quietly that he wasn't sure she'd spoken at all.

"And I didn't mean to push, but, since you're talking, you want to explain that?"

Lita walked to the small bench at the side of the pond, her gaze flitting from Stacy, as the blonde tried not to fall over, to Jeff and Chris, who were skating around at insane speeds. They both waved, Chris a little tentatively, and she raised her hand briefly. Not looking away from them, she continued.

"It was before Chris won the belt, before all this happened, but not before I realised things weren't going as well with Matt as they had been." She took a deep breath. "I was upset and Jeff and Chris decided it'd be a good idea to get me drunk and play silly games and watch cartoons; just like we all used to do before, well, before things started to get _awkward_.

"We were just messing about when Matt came in. Jeff and I were wrestling and Chris was playing referee and Matt just burst into the room and accused Jeff and I of… Well, things got heated and Matt stormed off. I told Jeff to let him calm down, but Jeff wouldn't listen and he went after him. I was…well, more angry than upset, to be honest and Chris, he was just trying to help lighten the mood. So we kept watching cartoons and we talked and…we got even more drunk, more drunk than I've ever been. I guess…I guess he thought I wouldn't remember, or he was so drunk he didn't care, but…"

"He told you."

She looked at him then, mouth open slightly in shock. "You _knew_?"

Edge grimaced. "There were very few people who didn't, sweetie, including Matt. Why do you think he was always so…_attentive _in front of Chris? I guess I never made the connection," he continued, frowning. "God, I can't believe I was so blind." He looked up at the ice, watching Chris as the Canadian chased Jeff around. "That's when it all started. I was so wrapped up in everything else I never even thought about it. But it makes sense."

"I'm glad it makes sense to someone," she muttered.

"I'm sorry."

"I can't believe you didn't say anything to me."

"He was my friend, Li, even if we rarely showed it. I wasn't about to break that trust. Besides…would it have made a difference?"

"I-I don't know."

"You _did _love, Matt." She nodded and he let out a breath, closing his eyes as he realised something. "But you felt something for Chris, too, didn't you?"

"I thought he was just drunk, you know? And then when he was finally getting me to realise that he might be telling the truth, Stace phoned before I could say anything. I don't know what I would have said, if I would have left Matt before all _this_ happened, but…I didn't even get the chance to think about it. I ran off to help Stace when Ash was in the hospital and I never got another chance to talk to Chris. So I didn't think about it. Didn't analyse it."

"Didn't want to," Edge finished and she met his gaze, wide-eyed. "Sweetie, it's barely been three weeks since you and Matt broke up, don't rush it. Think about it properly. Take your time."

Lita shook her head. "What does it matter now, anyway, it was a long time ago and I doubt he still feels the same way." Edge snorted. "What?"

"God, you're just as clueless now as you were then. Why do you think I've been so anxious about his sudden reappearance in your life? I might not have been his friend for a while now, but I can still see right through him where you're concerned. He loved you, Li, and he still does. I was worried he might use that to try and break your heart worse than Matt ever could."

"And now?"

He glanced at the ice, watching the skaters for a few moments. "Now I'm worried you might break his."

"I don't think I'll get the chance to, but you know I wouldn't."

Edge sighed as she stood up, rushing to catch Stacy before the leggy blonde toppled over in her rush to join them.

"You already have, Lita. More than once."

He looked at Chris to find that the other man was already staring at him. For a moment it was as if no time had passed since they had last talked as friends. Silent understanding passed between them and Edge smiled sadly. He wouldn't stand in the way. He just hoped Chris knew what he was doing, because he had a bad feeling that someone might get hurt. He hoped he was wrong, because things were finally beginning to go right for them all. Matt wasn't about to forget the beatings Edge had been dishing out on a weekly basis any time soon and Jeff and Lita were both beginning to get on with their lives.

He just wondered how well Chris was going to fit into Lita's. Either way, things were about to get very interesting.

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**End of Part Three **

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	5. Part 04

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**Part Four**

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"Did not."

"Did too!"

"Did _not_."

"You so did."

"I. Did. Not."

"Yeah, you did."

"I d-"

"Oh, for the love of all that is Holy, will you two shut the hell up?" Lita cried, her hands clenching as if she'd very much like either of their heads between them.

"Isn't that my line?" Chris asked, changing lanes as they neared their exit.

"I don't care who says it," Lita said, still sounding high strung. "But if either of them continues talking, I will _hurt_ them." She glared into the rear view mirror at the two all-too-innocent faces staring back at her. "Understood."

"Yes, Mom," Edge said with a smirk.

"You're only agreeing because you know I'm right," Jeff muttered.

"Don't make me turn this car around," Chris said in a commanding tone, but it was obvious that he was trying not to laugh.

"Yes, Dad."

Edge and Jeff glanced at each other, a devious look passing between them.

"Are we there yet?"

"Are we there yet?"

"Are we there yet?"

"Are we there yet?"

"Are we there yet?"

"Are we there yet?"

"Are we there yet?"

"Are we there yet?"

"Are we there yet?"

"That's _it_!" Lita growled and they instantly shut up. "The next person to speak is getting themselves signed up for a Hell in the Cell with the Undertaker. Do I make myself _clear_?"

There was blissful silence from the back seat. Then her phone rang.

"What?" she barked, answering it and not checking to see, nor particularly caring who was on the other end. She figured it was most likely Stacy checking to see if they were almost at her house and her mood would be accepted; Stacy knew that she was still trapped in a _very small_ moving vehicle with Jeff and Edge.

"Eh…Lita?"

Her demeanour changed instantly. The effect was so visible that the three men exchanged worried glances.

"What do you want?" she said softly. Her words gave away the identity of the caller, but she shook her head when the others tried to take the phone from her. How long had it been? Six months? More? There had been a time when she had known down to the hour.

Ignoring Edge's growled words ("I'll kill him"), she tried to keep calm. She jumped when she felt a hand slip into hers, the one not holding the phone, and smiled briefly at Chris, who was doing bad job of keeping his eyes on the road.

"What do you want, Matt?" she repeated, feeling slightly stronger for the contact.

"I miss you."

"You don't have the right," she answered. "You willingly gave up that right." She knew there were tears in her eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall. She wouldn't let him cause her any more pain.

"I know…but I miss you and I miss Jeff."

"Then you should have thought about that before you-"

"I know. I just…I want you back, Lita, both of you."

"I can't speak for Jeff-"

"Yes, you can."

She turned at the soft words, the tight line of Jeff's jaw telling her he meant what he said. Sighing, she turned back around, catching Chris' eyes. She didn't _want_ to speak for Jeff. Matt was his brother and, one day, those bridges _would _mend. She didn't want to be the one to cause that pain to last longer then it would otherwise. Instead she changed tact, rather surprised that Matt had remained silent until she was ready.

"It's too soon, Matt."

"When will it be okay?"

"I don't know if it ever will. You can't get me back, because I'm not something you just lost Matt, I'm a person…a person you tried to _break_."

"I know."

To say that Matt's career and personal life had entered a quick downward spiral since joining Smackdown was an understatement and she had to wonder if that was the only reason he was repenting now. However, she wasn't about to become like him. She wouldn't throw away years of friendship if it could be saved. At some point, maybe. Just not now.

"Give it time, Matt."

"How much time?"

"I don't know," she said honestly. "Maybe never. Just…just let things settle. Don't call us, Matt. Let us get on with our lives."

"And if I want to be a part of your lives?"

"Then give us the space we need." Not giving him the chance to respond, she hung up and took in a shuddering breath. Chris' hand tightened in hers and she gave it a short squeeze. The silence in the car was uncomfortable and she glanced at Jeff in the mirror, not surprised to see the far away look in his eyes. She sighed, wishing there was something she could say to lighten the mood.

As if answering her prayers, her phone rang and this time, she was pleased to see, the caller was indeed Stacy.

"Hey, Stace."

"Hey, are you guys nearly here?"

Checking the road signs, Lita nodded, despite knowing that the blonde couldn't see her. "Yeah, about another thirty minutes, I think."

"Thank _God_," Stacey said with a sigh of relief. "Ashley's driving me _insane_."

Lita chuckled as she heard the young brunette protesting in the background. "Well, we're nearly there and then Ash and Jeff can spend all the time they want torturing Edge."

"What did I ever do to you?" came a protest from behind her.

She smiled when she saw Jeff had perked up a little at the news and handed her cell phone into the back for Edge and Jeff to fight over, they both got on well with Stacy and her cousin and Lita was hoping that meant the week's break would be relaxing. Taking a few minutes to listen to the conversation going on around her, or at least the third that she could hear, it took Lita a moment to realise that Chris had yet to let go of her hand. It was probably a bad thing, given that he was driving, but she smiled nonetheless.

"Hey."

She looked up at the sound of his voice and smiled. "Hey yourself."

"You okay," he asked, glancing at her momentarily before turning his attention back to the road. It amazed her that one brief glance always managed to send a shiver all the way to the tips of her toes.

"I am, actually." She smiled, realising that it was true. "I really think I am."

"Good."

She watched up unabashedly, smiling when he began to fidget under her stare. She opened her mouth to thank him, to tell him that she was glad that he was back in her life, that she wanted to keep him here…maybe even to tell him that she was pretty sure she was in love with him. But she didn't. She closed her mouth and opted to squeeze his hand.

He glanced at her and she grinned at him.

She didn't need to say a word.

He already knew.

xxxxx

**The End**

xxxxx

I realise that this likely wasn't the epic you were expecting, but I think I prefer it this way. Hope you all enjoyed and thanks very much to those of you who sent feedback and voted on the pairing for this one.

If you want more say in what I update and in pairings for certain fics etc, you can do so at my Yahoo Group, KyiziFic.

Thanks for reading, feel free to review .

coughthat's a hintcough


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